Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs, is about a sixteen year old Jacob sets out to find about the truth of his grandfather's death.He goes to Wales, a place where his grandfather grew up in, and meets a girl named Emma. She can control fire. Emma takes Jacob to an orphanage where his grandfather lived in. All the children there are peculiar, they all have special abilities. Jacob is the only one who can see the hollowgasts, these creatures are responsible for his grandfather's death. Jacob kills the creatures and returns to the orphanage to discover that Miss Peregrine is kidnapped. When they find her she is in bird form and can't change back into a human. The children leave the the orphanage in Wales and look for a new home
This novel was different from my normal reads. I still liked the story line and the characters. It was fascinating to read about how all these kids had different abilities. I also liked the black and white pictures it had. Definitely a 5 out of 5 stars from me.
Reviewed by Karla S., grade 9
Glendale Central Library
Comments
This book was fantastic, filled with action and adventure, I would recommend this to anyone who likes horror and dark fantasy. It was very interesting and well-written, and I had a hard time putting it down until I finally finished the book. The author was able to pull off the time-loop and World War I era, which made the book even better. I also liked how there was some tone of seriousness throughout the book that showed how Jacob was trying to help these kids and Miss Peregrine from an evil no one could've imagined. Overall I really liked this book and it was a good, fast read.
Reviewed by Lusine M., Grade 8
Glendale Central Library
The first book in the Miss Peregrine's series isn't bad. Plot wise, it's actually really interesting. I really liked the mysterious aspect to the book. The use of old time-y pictures is perhaps my favorite thing about the book, because it makes you feel like all of this could be real. The characters are really interesting, too, and I would love to see them develop more in the sequels. More negatively, I'm not a fan of the sudden romantic aspect that came out of left field. It's actually really creepy, no matter how you look at it, and Jacob and Emma are really not good for one another. So, I hope that relationship dissolves in future books. Overall, I'd recommend the book if you want something gloomy and somewhat spooky to read.
Reviewed by T.A.Y, Grade 12
Glendale Central Library
This book is about a boy named Jacob who turns out to have "peculiarities" just like his grandfather. There are 3 books in the series, each one of them increasingly adventurous and interesting. The story itself is very complex, and the author does not hesitate to get straight to the point rather than opening with a rather boring and unnecessary backstory for the characters. He uses real found-photographs of strange children with abnormalities, which he calls "peculiar children". I personally think his style of writing and choice of photographs is revolutionary, and it introduces a whole new form of storytelling. The children's personalities and abilities are all unique and definitely well thought out, as they all have their own depth that make the story twice as interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a slightly creepy mystery novel, and it's definitely worth reading.
Reviewed by Isabelle D., Grade 8
Pacific Park Library
Miss Peregrine's is an exceptional book with a wide range of vivid abilities that the peculiars have, like the floating girl, the invisible boy, and the girl who could conjure fire. The plot can leave you hanging on an idea, leave you to it, then explode with the truth only a few pages after. The characters have optimistic connections that can send them spiraling into the darkest of situations, but they still moved forward, together, and that is what keeps the reader going.
Reviewed by Ally, Grade 8
Downtown Central Library
Mrs. Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children was honestly one of my favorite fantasy books I ever read. I wasn't really into fantasy books, but this one stood out. The story itself is very mysterious and creepy in the sense that nothing adds up. It's this feeling of dread throughout the entire book that makes the ending so...peculiar. In addition, the old pictures and letters in the book add to the depressing mood of the story. I have never read any book in such a cool style. The ending could have been a bit different in my eyes, but it was acceptable at the least. In the end, the underlying message of isolation related to me in the sense that many of us do not appreciate things that are extraordinary in our lives. It made me reflect on my social life, and I think that other teenagers would enjoy this book very much.
Reviewed by AH, Grade 9
Downtown Central Library